Mohamed Al-Zamlot, Governor of the New Valley, confirmed that the governorate possesses the elements that qualify it to be Egypt’s future in the agricultural sector, as its area is 44% of the total area of Egypt, pointing to the agreement with an international company to prepare an agricultural map for the governorate, in coordination with the Ministries of Agriculture and Irrigation.
This came during a discussion session within the activities of the International Food and Beverage Trade Fair “Food Africa” in its ninth session, and the session was held under the title “The future and opportunities of the food and agricultural sector in Egypt… Vision 2030.”
Participating in the session were Mohamed Hani Ghoneim, Governor of Beni Suef, Tariq Al-Houbi, Head of the National Food Safety Authority, Abdel Hamid Al-Demerdash, Head of the Export Council for Agricultural Crops, Ashraf Al-Jazairli, Head of the Food Industries Chamber of the Federation of Industries, Mahmoud Bazan, Head of the Export Council for Food Industries, and Mohsen Al-Beltagy, Head of the Export Development Association. Al-Bustanieh, “Haya,” and the session was moderated by Ashraf Al-Sayyid, Vice President of the Export Council for Food Industries.
Al-Zamlot said that the governorate represents an attractive area for many industries, especially in light of the infrastructure currently available in the governorate, stressing the governorate’s readiness to provide all the facilities required for serious investors to invest in all sectors, especially in agricultural industrial projects.
Al-Zamlot pointed out that a Chinese company has expressed its desire to acquire lands in the governorate to establish agricultural industrial projects, in addition to the governorate’s keenness to expand new and renewable energy projects, as an initiative is currently being implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Electricity and the Central Bank to stimulate investment in the field of solar energy in the New Valley Governorate.
For his part, the Governor of Beni Suef explained that the governorate includes many logistical axes, which contributes to the diversification of economic activities in the governorate, pointing to the preparation of an economic development strategy for the governorate in 2020, based on many axes, including transport, trade, logistics, agriculture and industry, as the governorate includes 8 Industrial areas.
He noted that the agricultural sector is a top priority in the governorate’s action plan, especially since it accommodates about 500,000 workers from the governorate, noting that a feasibility study has been prepared in cooperation with UNIDO to establish an agricultural industrial zone in the governorate.
He pointed out that medicinal and aromatic plants represent one of the most important activities that characterize the governorate, as Beni Suef accounts for 60% of Egypt’s total exports of these plants. In this context, he pointed out that an agreement was reached with the Ministry of Agriculture to establish the first laboratory for pesticide residues in the governorate to increase the added value. For medicinal and aromatic plant products produced in the governorate.
He added that 110 acres have been allocated to establish the first dry port in the North Upper Egypt region, in addition to the announcement soon of the establishment of the first factory in North Upper Egypt for drying tomatoes, in addition to that a service center for farmers is being established with funding from the European Union and in full coordination with the Ministry of Local Development, which will include pressing stations. Distillation and drying.
In this context, the Chairman of the Food Industries Export Council indicated that the Council is implementing an ambitious strategy to increase the export rates of the food industries sector, based on three basic axes that include supporting and developing exporting companies by increasing the exporter base, developing the capabilities of exporting companies, and promoting the Egyptian product to keep pace with the requirements of foreign markets. In addition to opening more foreign markets to the Egyptian food product, he called in this regard to maximize the benefit of commercial offices abroad, especially with regard to organizing trade missions carried out by the Council and promoting Egyptian products.
Engineer Ashraf Al-Jazairli, head of the Food Industries Chamber at the Federation of Industries, pointed out the importance of the active role played by the National Food Safety Authority in supporting and assisting the food industries and agricultural crops sector, as it contributed to bringing about a positive transformation for a large number of factories that adjusted their conditions in accordance with food safety requirements and then Compatibility with international standards, which contributed to increasing Egyptian food export rates to foreign markets.
He called for the need to expand the establishment of agricultural industrial zones, especially in the governorates of Upper Egypt, which have many agricultural crops that can be manufactured and their added value increased.
For his part, Abdel Hamid Al-Demerdash, Chairman of the Export Council for Agricultural Crops, stressed the importance of developing an agricultural policy based on maximizing the benefit of all the components that Egypt possesses, as a basic step for the advancement of this vital sector, stressing the need to pay attention to agricultural schools and colleges to graduate qualified youth to meet the needs of the labor market in the sector. Agricultural.
He pointed out that Egypt has promising opportunities in the field of medicinal and aromatic plants, which requires developing a comprehensive vision to maximize the benefit of these plants, which represent the dark horse for doubling Egyptian agricultural exports.
Dr. Tariq Al-Houbi, Chairman of the National Food Safety Authority, also spoke about the Authority’s awareness role in supporting and assisting the food sector in Egypt, stressing that we cannot establish a strong industry and agriculture except through the producer and farmer’s commitment to applying legislation and technical regulations and conforming to international standards.
He pointed out that the Authority has recently succeeded in attracting a large portion of small, medium and micro industries to adhere to food safety requirements, which has had a positive impact on increasing the rates of Egyptian food exports.
Engineer Mohsen El-Beltagy, head of the Horticultural Crops Development Association (Haya), explained that the association, since its establishment in 1996, has been seeking to transfer modern technologies to Egyptian farmers, with the aim of upgrading agricultural systems and keeping them in line with global trends, pointing out the importance of achieving greater integration between the government and the private sector, in particular In light of the challenges the world is currently witnessing, including climate change and water scarcity.
In this regard, Al-Beltagy indicated that the association is currently implementing a project in cooperation with the German side to achieve optimal use of water in agricultural lands.
The discussion session was attended by a large number of industrialists, experts and specialists in the field of food industries and agricultural crops.
